Shuttle cleaner



June 10, 1952 R, WHEWELL, JR

SHUTTLE CLEANER s snees-sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1949 QL" www @L INVENTOR. R'UEERT WHEWELLJF. BY'f5-6;; wz/d FITTDRNE s June 10, 1952 R, wHEwELL, JR

SHUTTLE CLEANER Filed Aug. 25, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. R ma ERT WHEWELLJRJ BY /vlg Y' Wfl/ FIT-mmm: 5

Patented June 10, 1952 SHUTTLE CLEANER Robert Whewell, J r., Cleveland, Ohio, assigner to The Warner & Swasey Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 25, 1949, Serial No. 112,233

7 Claims.

My invention relates to weaving machinery, especially machinery of the gripper shuttle type.

It is an object of the invention to improve the handling and operation of gripper type shuttles. A further object is to maintain such shuttles and the jaws thereof, clean and free from lint, broken ends, oil, grease and other foreign material. It is likewise an object to avoid soiling cloth being woven and to avoid weaving imperfections and foreign substances into the cloth.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved way of lifting gripper shuttles to picking position from a conveyor belt while controlling the action of the thread receiving jaws and cleaning them. An object is to coordinate cleaning, lifting and thread gripping and clearing operations; and to enable the functions of the gripper shuttle to be performed with great rapidity, as well as to reduce to a minimum the period of time for transferring a gripper shuttle to the picker box from the conveyor belt which returns it from a receiving box to the picker side of theloom.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Although my invention is not limited thereto, my arrangement for simultaneous shuttle lifting and cleaning may be applied to a gripper shuttle loom of the general type disclosed in the copending application Serial Number 111,416, filed August 30, 1949, of Nicholas P. Darash, assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

In carrying out the invention in accordance with a preferred form thereof, I provide mechanism for lifting the shuttles from a shuttle returning conveyor to the picking position by sweeping each shuttle angularly, sidewise and upward through an arc of about ninety degrees. I am thus able to utilize greatly simplified, more reliable and durable mechanism, not only for the shuttle lifter, itself, but also for the auxiliary mechanisms performing other functions such as opening and closing thread grippers and locating the shuttle for the pick. Furthermore, I clean the shuttle while it is being lifted, without any additional movements and without causing any delay in the operations of the Weaving machine.

A thread gripper operating mechanism is arranged to rotate with the shuttle carrier so as to open the thread receiving jaws and to hold them open while they are being swept by a cleaning brush.

'Ihe arrangement is such that the shuttles being returned from the receiving box may be conveyed on their side in a narrow compact shuttle return duct under the shed instead of being carried in a fiat horizontal position resting on a conveyor belt as heretofore proposed, such as in Moessinger Patent No. 2,420,380, for example.

A better understanding of the invention will be afforded by the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of a gripper-shuttle weaving machine representing one form of apparatus in which my invention may be employed, a front view being one from the cloth-beam side where the operator stands;

Fig. 2 is a right-end view, principally in crosssection of the apparatus of Fig. 1 represented as partially cut by a plane 2 2, indicated in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section of the portion of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2, including the delivery end of the shuttle conveyor, the shuttle lifter, shuttle jaw opening mechanism, and the picking box represented as cut by a plane 3--3 indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a known type of gripper shuttle, which may be employed in carrying out my invention, the shuttle being shown with closed weft-thread-receiving jaws;

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4, with weft-thread receiving-jaws held open, and showing in cross-section a portion of the frame-work supporting a shuttle cleaner brush;

Fig. 6 is an elevation partially in section of the shuttle lifting mechanism of Fig. 3 with the shuttle in the lowermost position;

Fig. 7 is in view of the mechanism with the shuttle in the picking position;

Figs. 8 and 9 are views corresponding to Figs. 6 and 7 respectively, of mechanism of Fig. 3 for opening the thread receiving jaws of the shuttle, and

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the portion of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2, including the delivery end of the shuttle conveyor, the shuttle lifter and the picking box represented as cut by a plane llt-I 0 in'di` cated in Fig. 2.

Like reference characters are utilized through--V cluding a pair of side plates 2| and 22 (repre-l sented in Fig. 1) secured to cross members 23 and 24 shown in cross-section in Fig. 2. The weaving machine illustrated is of the gripper shuttle picking mechanism not shown which projectsit through theshed 53. i .A I Y In conjunction with the shuttle lifting mechanism, means are provided for .opening the thread receiving jaws (i9` of the shuttle as it is being lifted. in order to eliminate thenecessity for an additional operation and the consequent reduction of maximum possible4 operating speed consequent upon opening the thread receiving jaws after the shuttle has reached the level of the picking position. To this end a second arm 85 is provided also pivoted upon the shaft '12. The arm 85 is provided with a more or less arcuately extending fin-ger 86 adapted to enter the opening ll of the shuttle 62 and having a thickness measured inthe radial direction exceeding the space between the tines 'I8 of the thread receiving jaw spring 61 when the jaws 69 are closed.

Mechanism is provided for moving the arm 85 similar to that provided for moving the arm 66. Such mechanism, in the form of apparatus illustrated, comprises a lever 80 pivotedly mounted on a shaft 98 having a downwardly extending arm 81, and upwardly extending arm 88, a cam follower 89 at the end of the loweredly extending arm 81, and a link 9i joining the upward end of the arm 88 and the swinging jaw opener arm 95. A second cam groove 921s formed in the barrel cam for receiving the cam follower 89.

The cam grooves 92 and 82 are so cut, however, that initially, that is to say when the shuttle carrier 58 is in its lowermost position, the jaw opener finger 86 is in a retracted position as illustrated in Fig. 8, but as the shuttle carrier arm 66 begins to rotate counterclockwise so as to sweep the carrier 58 through an upward arc, the arm 85 advances with respect to the arm 66 and drives the jaw opener fingers 86 into the shuttle 62 during the early portion of the upward stroke of the carrier 58. Accordingly, the thread receiving jaws 69 are separated as the shuttle follows its arcuate upward path.

In order that the shuttle may also reach its upward position in which a length of thread drawn from the stationary spool or package 1s presented to it. without any grease, lint or broken threads or foreign material adhering to the thread receiving jaws 69. a cleaner brush 93 is mounted in the path of the shuttle and the open thread receiving jaws 69. Such a brush is illustrated in detail in Fig. 5. It is mounted at the position indicated schematically by the numeral 93 indicated in Figs. 6, '7, 8 and 9. For convenient mounting of the brush 93, consisting of a circular bundle of bristles, a brush mounting screw 94 is preferably provided. The screw 94 is adapted to be screwed into the frame work 13 and has an end socket 95 into which the bristles constituting lthe cleaner brush 93 are cemented.

The operation of the apparatus will be apparent` from an examination of the drawings. Thus, as the auxiliary shaft 34, which is synchronized with the picker shaft 96 makes a quarter of a revolution, it moves the shuttle 62 from the lowermost position to the picking position. In the course of this motion, the thread receiving jaws 69 are opened by the action of the thread opener finger 86. The open jaws 69 are swept by the cleaner brush 93 and the foreign material is removed therefrom. Thereupon. further rotation of the shaft 34 and mechanism, not herein specifically described since it does not constitute part of the present invention, serves to present a new end of thread to the open jaws 69; and further rotation of the barrel cam 15 causes the 6 l finger to be retracted causing the new length of thread to be gripped by the shuttle. Duringthe next fraction of a revolution of the shaft 34. thel picker mechanism is released projecting a shuttle` through the shed 53.

Immediately upon the completion of this action, the shuttle carrier 68 now being empty, the form `of the cam groove 82 is such as to retract also the carrier arm 68 to the position shown in Fig. 6. With this angular position of the shaft 34, the conveyor chain 63 and the lug 64 approach the position shown in Fig. 10. Further movement of the lug 64 moves the next` shuttle 62 into the position shown in Figs. l0 and 6, inwhich the shuttle 62 is inserted in the `opening 59 in the carrier 58. It will be understood` that the shuttle conveyor duct 6l contains a plurality of shuttles 62 being returned and that there are a plurality of lugs 64 on the chain 63, so spaced that an' additional shuttle 62 is (presented to the carrier 58 each time it reaches the lowermost position represented in Fig. 6, namely once, for each rotation of the auxiliary shaft 34.`

While I have described my invention as embodied in concrete form and as operating in aA specific manner in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, it should be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto, since various modifications thereof will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a weaving machine of the gripper-shuttle type, the combination comprising a pivoted arm to which a shuttle carrier is secured for supporting a shuttle of the type having openalole thread receiving jaws, a second pivoted arm formed with an opener for such thread receiving jaws, shuttle cleaning vbristles mounted in the path of the thread receiving jaws of such a shuttle as such shuttle is swept through an arc by rotation of said pivoted shuttle carrier, and cam means with linkage means connecting said cam means to said ,l shuttle carrier arm and said jaw opener arm for driving the jaw opener arm in advance of the shuttle carrier arm during the first part of its stroke whereby the thread receiving jaws are retained open during such part of the stroke as the shuttle is swept by the cleaner bristles.

2. In a weaving machine of the gripper-shuttle type employing a shuttle having openable thread receiving jaws, mechanism for moving such a shuttle to a pick position comprising an arm having a pivot at one end and a shuttle carrier at the other end, framework supporting such pivot whereby the arm may move a gripper shuttle through an arcuate path, and cleaner bristles mounted upon such framework in said path whereby the gripper shuttle is cleaned prepara tory to being brought into the pick position.

3. In combination, a gripper-shuttle of the type having a pair of thread receiving jaws formed at the ends of a hair pin type spring, means for lifting the shuttle into a pick position through an arcuate path, a pivoted jaw opener with means for driving it at a greater angular speed than said shuttle during the initial portion of the stroke of said shuttle in its arcuate path, whereby said jaw opener is driven between the tines of said spring for opening said jaws and retaining them open during the greater portion of the stroke of said shuttle through its arcuate path, and cleaner bristles mounted within said path, adapted to wipe the surfaces of said jaws as the @mi Jaw@ @ishuwwrf receivingV j'a'w's, mechanism? for moi/*ing `slim-hi la ,pbsitiomndmeaning'means wm ....Iv/ 

